These Red Wine Brownies Will Leave You Weak in the Knees

Conventional wisdom suggests inhibitions mostly exist to help you. It'd be reckless to down a fourth glass of wine at a company party or inhale a full pack of Oreos on a Saturday and binge all of Crazy Ex-Girlfriend, the thinking goes. Nonetheless, those are things we do (OK, fine -- I have done -- you prudes) because inhibitions crumble when presented with an unexpected temptation. These amazing red wine brownies by Broma Bakery are that temptation,so let's get into why.

Sarah Fennel, the food writer and photographer behind the recipe, writes that she dreamt it up because, "I constantly struggle with the decision of drinks or dessert." Her answer to both those desires is pretty convincing, working in extra chocolate as a fat substitute for butter, high-end cocoa powder, and brown sugar into a recipe that takes just 40 minutes to bake. As Fennel wrote to Thrillist in an email: "I wanted to create a recipe that had the richness of a fudgy brownie, while adding a distinguishable note of vino."

The wine is essential to this equation. Fennel recommends using a medium to full bodied wine like a Merlot or Cabernet Sauvignon. "You really taste the red wine in every bite," Fennel says. "And the texture of the brownies is out of this world -- just like a super rich bakery-style brownie."

The recipe doesn't explicitly state this, but you'll thank yourself afterward: Never cook anything with wine you wouldn't drink straight. That means skip the cooking wine and just buy the good stuff. That way you only buy one bottle of wine and you can have a glass with the brownies. Or two. Again, we're ignoring your inhibitions here.